Mansaku
by G0nly
Summary: "It's not sorcery or anything supernatural. We're not those weird children book characters that wear black and have a pointy hat and fly on a broom stick. It's more like a normal way of life just like how being a shinobi is a way of life. Oh and I'm not a witch just yet. I'm kind a still in training." During a hot summer day, the wind blows and the path changes...
1. Witch and Paper work

**Author's Notes: (A lil self intro and whatnot. Please read if you want. Actually, I kinda would like you to read this dear reader.)**

**I know I know. I hate seeing author's notes on stories too. They're too long and sometimes unnecessary, but seeing how I'm kind of new to the site (new to actually "publishing" anything that is) I at least want to get some kind of greeting going on. **

**Hello Fanfiction! I'm G0nly. Some of you might, as I said might, recognize me as G-Chan0nly from Deviant art or G0nly from . Well I've been around Fanfiction for a while and had a few friends who wrote stories on the site too, and noticed that there's a lot of repetition with certain ideas and there's not really much originality within plots. A lot of them, especially with Naruto, seem to be about the character getting god-like or super smart or whatnot. While I enjoy reading stories about the protagonist getting strong, after a while you start to get bored of the same plotline that repeats around the community. **

** So after reading a few of those, I wanted to make a fan fiction of my own that had been circulating around in my head for a while. I've seen a couple of stories similar to what I had in my mind, but the plotlines tend to get repetitive, or some of the ideas just don't make sense. Well, I guess here we go. Don't worry, this will be the only long Author's Note you'll see around in this story hopefully. If I do have to write an Author's Note It'll be at the end of the chapter. Now…OFF TO THE STORY! LET'S SEE WHERE THIS ADVENTURE TAKES US!...Ugh, that sounded so cheesy. Sorry ya'll, I'll start immediately.**

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Mansaku: A Naruto Fanfiction

Ch.1 Witch and paperwork

Bright, sunny, and hot. Oh yes, so very hot.

He loved summer time. Summer time was the season of playing pranks on people and warm sunshine but there was one that Naruto hated about it. It was the unbearable heat that came during certain Summer days, and today happened to be one of those days.

95° …that's what was written on the Yamanka Flower Shop's heat measuring thingy. He wasn't quite sure whether that number was a good thing or bad thing but it definitely meant that it was super super hot.

Naruto sat down on one of the park benches and let out a breath of hot air. So hot and so thirsty. He had been walking around for a few hours trying to find a cool place to rest. The orphanage had locked him out after he had pranked one of the bullies there, and his punishment was to play outside in the hot sun.

Nobody was out right now. Everybody had shut themselves inside their cool air conditioned houses. It was far too hot to even work right now. Even Ichiraku Ramen had closed. The kind Oji-san and the pretty Nee-chan were out visiting a relative who owned a small beach house or something like that.

Speaking of beaches he really wanted water right now. Naruto swallowed some of the spit that lingered in his mouth to moisten his throat but only let out a groan of frustration when there was nothing to swallow. The heat had dried up his spit.

He closed his eyes and lied down on the bench trying to relax underneath the shades the trees above made. It was actually pretty refreshing. The shade was slowly cooling him down. He lied down like that for a while until a bright light hit his face. Opening his eyes tentatively, he noticed the shadows had moved away from the bench.

He groaned again and closed his eyes back shut trying to ignore the hot summer rays. It wasn't working. Much too hot to ignore. He wished that winter would return. The cold wind would definitely feel better on his skin right now then this scorching heat. Oh but wait, that would mean it would have to be really really cold. Ugh, this sucked.

A slight wind passed by cooling his brow a bit. Naruto sat up. The wind blew again from behind him this time. He turned around to face a forest covered in shades. Entranced by the specks of light and shadow, he put his hands out and was surprised at the cool temperature change in the , he jumped off the bench and rushed into the greenery.

The wind welcomed him, and Naruto hopped around the forest trying to only touch the shadows. It was fun.

This went on for a while until he got tired. He sat down underneath one of trees and took in a deep breath of air. The forest smelled good, and it was cool in here. He smiled and got up ready to go back to the orphanage only to realize….he had lost his way. Naruto couldn't see the houses or the streets of Konoha anywhere. It was only miles and miles of trees and wild plants everwhere. A shiver went down his spine as he noticed the Forest darkening a bit and the dark shades of the trees growing all around him. Would Jiji be able to find him? He hoped so. The shadows were starting to feel a bit less friendly.

Suddenly, his ears perked up. There was a rustling sound nearby. Something was coming to him. He gulped. The sound started to grow and from the noise it was making…this thing was not just any small rabbit.

_Probably a bear_ whispered a voice in his head. That did it. Naruto got up and was ready to make a run for it when he suddenly tripped over a large tree root. He tumbled over a few good feet until he felt himself hit something.

"Ooooh, Lookie here! I finally found the little foxy!"

He opened his eyes and screamed.

.*.

"And she was so cool Jiji! She had this big bucket thingmobobber and it had some weird things inside it but she said she would use it to read the future!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled drowning out the young child's tale. He had went hysterical when his anbu came back repeating that Naruto was not at the orphanage and nowhere inside Konoha. His mind had went through the worst possible situation and ordered a full scale search party. When they finally found the boy, relief flooded over the fears he had. Fear for the child since he could have gotten attacked or kidnapped and fear for himself because a certain dead blonde and red head might have cursed him from their graves. Oh one might laugh at the thought of a dead man cursing the living, but Sarutobi had learned that nothing could be impossible.

"So can i?"

A bit baffled from the sudden question he replied with "What?"

"Can I see her again? The Baba who helped me! I want to see her again!" the child beamed thinking about his savior.

"Err, sure, but I believe that all depends on her. That Baba you speak of is quite picky with her visitors."

Naruto's smile deflated a bit. Sarutobi let out a small smile, "But I'll ask her and we'll see what happens."

The child whooped and jumped out of the chair, knocking down a stack of paperwork from the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi gaped at the mountain of hard worked hours that were carefully arranged fly everywhere.

"Whoops! Sorry Jiji!"

"Naruto," Sarutobi made sure to mask his frustration with a smile, " I think it's a good idea to get some sleep now. Don't you think?"

"Ehhh," whined the boy, "but there's still some light left and besides I-"

"Don't you think it's a good time to sleep."

"Umm," Yup the smile the Hokage had was about to stretch out his face any moment now. "Sure I guess…Well see you tomorrow Jiji! Make sure Baba knows I'm coming out to visit! Bye! Good night!"

The energetic boy rushed out of the office with a large slam making even more paper fly. Sarutobi sighed.

"Dog, make sure he returns back safely, and stay with him tonight. I'll have to have a little chat with the Orphanage master later. "

Something whooshed out of the room scattering ever more paper work. Sarutobi closed his eyes. 1…2…3…

"Hokage –Samma! The Civilian Council has somr documents they want you to look over and sign."

He let out a muffled groan. Kushina and Minato were definitely cursing him!

.*.

The next day, the little bundle of energy made his presence known by opening the door with a slam. With unbelievably fast reflexes that were trained by the years, Sarutobi slammed his palm on the shaking paper stack.

"Ah, Naruto. What is it my boy?"

Naruto smiled and climbed onto the chair in front of the Hokage's desk. "So Jiji have you asked her yet?"

Oh, of course he came here wondering about the old lady. _It seems that little Naruto has grown fond of you eh_. He sighed and clasped his hands in front of him. "Sorry Naruto, but I haven't been able to talk to her yet. I've been quite overloaded with paperwork as you can see," he emphasized by spreading his hand out over the mountain of papers that were in the room.

Narutp slumped. "But Jiji you said you would ask."

"I know I did, but I haven't the time to contact her yet, and remember she might not even say yes."

The boy pouted further by slumping farther into the chair. "But I want to see her again. She's so cool."

_ Blasted old coot! Just what have you done to the boy to earn his ultimate affection for just a few hours! _"I'll try to contact her during my free time alright Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Alright! Remember you promised Jiji!"

Sarutobi smiled, "Of course. Remember what I said about promises?"

Naruto nodded furiously and grinned. He crossed his arms behind his back and imitated the Hoakge's aged voice. "Remember Naruto. Promises are meant to be kept no matter what. Breaking them means breaking a bond with who your promising with, so never make a promise you can't keep. Bonds are important and broken promises will lead to broken bonds!"

Sarutobi nodded sagely at the boy. Looks like he indeed did remember. That's good. Though ninjas were ultimately soldiers of death, they were still humans that shared bonds with others, and those bonds were important for teamwork and missions.

"Good. Now off you go. Let me finish my paper work and then I'll contact her."

"Alright! Thanks Jiji!" The boy jumped off the chair and exited the office with a slam again sending sheets of paper flying everywhere. Thousands of paper sheets that were meticulously organized were again soaring around like free doves.

"Hokage-Samma! Here are the bills regarding the construction of the new bath house form the Civilian Council."

Curses! This was definitely Kushina's doing now! Just what did she want!

.*.

He sighed as he stacked the last of the papers back together. Now was a good time to contact the old lady who was indirectly causing trouble for him. Maybe she was the one cursing him with the paperwork problem rather than the young blonde's mother. Out of his desk, he took out his pipe. Finally some free-

"Jiji!"

White sheets flew and a young face beamed at him. Sarutobi looked around the room as the papers fluttered around.

"Jiji I'm so bored! When can I see Baba again?"

Sarutobi took out a lighter and tobacco from his desk and lit the pipe.

"Jiji!"

He put the lighter and tobacco back into the desk drawer and took a deep breath of the smoke.

"Jiji-"

"Naruto."

The boy perked up at his name. Sarutobi smiled. Well he did say it was time for some free time. "Let's go see the old lady."

The gigantic grin grew on Naruto's face and he jumped around the office in glee whooping as he went. The Hokage just smiled as more paper work filled the air and crunching underneath Naruto's feet. Time to check up on the Old Witch who was causing him this mess.


	2. Witch and Plants

Mansaku: A Naruto Fanfiction

Ch.2 Witch and Plants

"Hey, nice to see you again boya."

Naruto was back in the forest. The only difference being that the Hokage was also steadily trailing behind him.

"Hehe! Hi Baba! I came to visit!"

Baba was an elderly lady who was about the same height as the Hokage and a bit on the lean side. She wore her greying hair in a low bun and had her bangs cute cleanly above her eyes. Though her wrinkles and slow pace showed a great deal of age in her, the sparkle in her hazel eyes showed an inner youth.

"Indeed you did. What made you come back here?"

Sarutobi chuckled, "Naruto just wanted to visit his "cool" savior again. I also thought that it was a good idea for him to stay with you this afternoon while I find him a better place to stay."

The elderly lady smiled and took the boy's shoulder gently. "Well then, Naruto would you like to help this old lady out today?"

The boy grinned. "Sure! Whatever you need to do Uzumaki Naruto is here for you! So what do you need help with?

.*.

"NO MORE!"

Naruto flopped down onto the floor spilling flowers, nuts and fruits from the basket he was holding. "I don't want to this anymore! It's so boring!"

Baba had taken him to a field in a small clearing in the forest and told him to help her gather some plants for something she was making. He was enthusiastic at first but after a while of pulling and picking his hands and back started to hurt.

He brought his hands to his face and sniffed at the smell that was coming from it. Ugh. He immediately threw his hands to side and made a face. It smelled of dirt, dog pee, and weeds. "I don't want to pick any more smelly plants!"

A green dress came in his view and he looked up. Baba was smiling at him with that weird smile of hers. "You shouldn't say that Naruto. Plants are very important."

Throwing himself down on his back, he yelled. "Bah! Who cares about plants!"

Baba looked up at the sky. "Well then. We have been working for quite some time. Let's take a break."

She put her basket down and sat beside the boy. Calming down from this rant earlier, Naruto took a peek at the old woman who was fumbling with the basket she had. He sat up as Baba took out a flower and started to overturn it in her hand and observe it carefully.

"Ano sa, Baba, why are plants so important to you?"

Baba stopped caressing the plant in her hand and smiled at the boy. "Well Naruto it's because plants are very powerful. They have enormous life energy in them made from the earth's chakra.

Naruto perked up at the word. Chakra? "Hey isn't that only for ninjas? They use that to make cool jutsus right?"

She chuckled, "Fufufu, indeed it is. However, Naruto, did you know that all chakra started from nature? Well to be more exact, from a single tree."

He scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Chakra came from a tree?"

She nodded, "Though it is just a tale that has been passed down from long ago, it's still very interesting. Would you like to listen?"

The boy nodded and Baba began the tale.

"There once was a tree that grew fruit which was said to harness magnificent power. Everybody was told to not touch it because they didn't know what it would do if they ate from it, however one bold rabbit came and ate from the tree. As soon as she ate it, an amazing strength filled her body and all her tiredness went away. Amazed at this power, she told her friends about it and they all ate under the tree and spread the news of this wonderful plant.

Then one day, a wolf heard about this story and thought that if he ate the rabbit he too would get this amazing power. So he sneaked up on her and attacked the tiny rabbit. Frightened from his surprise attack, the rabbit cried out and a mysterious power came out of her and attacked the wolf. Using this power she was able to chase the wolf off.

It is said that the rabbit was the first to use chakra and all power of chakra originated from that little creature that ate that fruit."

"Wow…so am I part rabbit or something?" asked Naruo wide-eyed.

Baba's eyes widened in surprise at his question and started cackling uncontrollably. _R-Rabbit? Young man you're more like part fox_ she thought mischievously to herself. After a few seconds she calmed down still chuckling a little. "Fufufu, no you're not a rabbit. As I said before little one, it's just a tall tale about the beginnings of chakra. It's probably not true. Though wouldn't it be wonderful if it was true."

"Awww, whattt. It's just a story?"

She smiled. "Story of not, it is true that all living things hold chakra and that stands correct for nature's plants and elements too. Everything in nature, the earth, wind, water, fire, and even lighting, has some sort of chakra. After all, it was those elements that helped nurture the tree that gave the rabbit the power." She finished off with a chuckle.

"I don't know how something smelly like plants could be powerful." Naruto grumbled.

"Naruto come here for a moment will you. I want you to smell this." He looked at her warily. "Don't give me that look. Trust me."

A little surprised at her words he nodded and smelled what was in her hands. Contrary to what he thought would smell like his hands, her hands smelled of a sharp tang of delicious mint.

Watching his face turn from suspicion to wonder, she opened her hands up and held up a small spiky plant. "It's called a Rosemary. It's similar to the mints you see in people's gardens but this is not just for eating. If you put this plant underneath your pillow at night it'll bring about lost memories."

She gave the plant to him and he took another sniff of it. "It smells nice," he muttered.

Baba nodded smiling, and picked up another plant from her basket. "This is a Clove. It is said that if you wear it, the person you like will like you back."

"Wow! Really?" Naruto stood up in excitement.

"Fufu," she waved the clove in front of his face, "do you have someone you like boya?"

He blushed and scratched his cheeks in embarrassment, "Mmmm, her name is Sakura-Chan. She's really pretty but she's pretty shy. The boys are pretty mean to her and I want to play with her but she always runs away when she sees other guys." His face dropped a bit.

Fufufu young love, how cute. Baba smiled and patted his head. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to talk to her."

He nodded and looked up at the sky. "Wow, the sky is really pretty here."

Indeed it was. The sun was about to set and it let out a beautiful hue of purple and pink. The elderly lady smiled at him. "Come. Pick up your stuff and let's go."

When they reached the hut the old lady was living in the, the Hokage was waiting for them. Baba motioned to Naruto to put the basket inside and went to greet Sarutobi.

"So have you found a new place for the boy to stay?"

Sarutobi nodded while smoking on his pipe mindful in making sure no one of the plants nearby would suddenly catch on fire.

Baba frowned and covered her nose in distaste. "I told you not to smoke that poisonous thing anywhere near here. It's not just the possibility of catching something on fire Hiruzen, that smoke will fog my mind. I need a clear mind to do my duties."

Sarutobi averted his eyes away and continued smoking in the opposite direction.

"Hiruzen."

He sighed and blew out the flame inside the pipe. "Just a harmless smoke."

She sighed. "So where did you relocate the fox boy too?"

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at her choice of words. Baba just shrugged. "No use in denying it. Get over it."

He grunted and tucked his pipe away. "He's been relocated to a different orphanage closer to where I work so I can keep a better watch on his health and safety."

Baba crossed her arms. "Have you learned nothing from what happened in the previous two orphanages?"

"What can I do?" he sighed, "My job doesn't give me the time to take care of him and he's not old enough to take care of himself either."

"I'll take care of him."

What? He let his gaze turn back to the old lady. What reason did she have for wanting to take care of him? What was she planning? The old witch never did anything without a purpose. "No you will not," he stated sternly, "I doubt you will be able to take care of him anyways. You'll be busy with your other things."

"I could use some help around here," she stated watching the boy come back out and sit on the small veranda watching the sun set.

This little… "No. I will not let you make Naruto partake in one of your occults."

"How rude. I expected better from you Hiruzen. Wicca is not an occult. It's a way of life just like how being a shinobi is one. Honestly, I thought you knew by now."

He sighed in frustration, "I apologize, however a no is a no. I can't let you take him in. I promised the boy's father to turn him into a fine ninja not a witch-…what in Kami's name are you waving?"

A tiny cluster of purple flowers dangled on a beaded necklace and was being waved in front of the Hokage's face. "Alfalfa. I have heard that you are having some financial problems because of the Civilian Council. Something about a bath house I believe."

Drats, where did this rumor come from? "And what of it?" he asked warily.

She grinned strangely. "Hang this around your neck and you'll be protected from financial misfortune."

Sarutobi frowned. She was trying to bribe him. Who did she think she was? He was the Hokage. The strongest ninja in the Land of Fire and was renowned as the Ninja Professor. One little plant wouldn't be able to-

"Also brings in money, promotes prosperity and," she smiled that strange open eyed smile of hers, "helps with hair growth."

Tempting, especially the hair growth part, but nevertheless it wasn't-

"Since it also protects you against financial misfortune it should reduce some paperwork problems caused by the Council."

He twitched. Paperwork was indeed an issue but…"And what makes you believe that I'll believe you?"

She chuckled, "Hiruzen who do you think you're talking too?"

Hmph, he was suddenly feeling some sort of déjà vu.

"Are you sure you want this one time offer to go away? It took quite some time to turn this little charm into the right potency for it to work."

So she had been ready for a long time. He sighed, "Alright. Naruto can stay but don't try to change his dream about being a ninja. I'm bringing him back once I find a better place to stay."

Baba chucked the necklace at Sarutobi who caught it with ease. "Fufufu, don't worry. I won't do anything like that."

.*.

"So I'll be staying with you until Jiji finds me a better place to stay?" asked Naruto excitedly as he got into the futon Baba laid out for him.

She took down her hair and brushed it with her fingers a bit. "Indeed young one. However, Naruto, living here is not as fun as you may think. There are some dangers to living here so I want you listen to me. There are some rules to living here."

"Blech rules!"

She ignored him and continued, "These rules can save your life alright. Rule number one: When going out at night always use scented candles. No flashlights."

He nodded though a little confused. Why candles? Flashlights made it easier to see.

"Rule number two: Don't harm any of the living things that nature has created including bugs alright. They're very important to me."

He nodded again getting a little drowsy.

"Rule number three: Watch what you say in this house, in fact this entire forest. Words are powerful in ways you might not understand.

And Rule number four: I hope we will get along fine together Naruto."

"So do I Baba," he muttered falling asleep.

She smiled and lit an incense as she too slipped into the futon. She would have to watch the boy's actions for the next few days. No doubt he would slip up on the rules a bit and seeing how he looked like the type to be accident prone in opening a can of worms she would have to make sure he didn't open the bigger can of worms that were in this house.


	3. Witch and Candle

Mansaku: A Naruto Fanfiction

Ch.3 Witch and Candle

The first can of worms was opened just one day after Naruto's arrival. Though it was a small can of worms, it was a can none the less that gave him nightmares for a couple of days.

It had started out normal enough at first. He was helping Baba with some new smudge sticks that they were going to put around the house.

"So what's a smudge stick?" Naruto asked handing the old lady a basket of flowers and leaves they collected that afternoon.

Taking a handful of the plants, she spread them across the counter top they were working on and began rearranging them in a pattern. "A smudge stick is a bundle of plants that you burn for several different reasons. The old ones are nearly about to be burned up, so I've decided to make new ones."

"What are they supposed to do?"

"They do a lot of different things Naruto such as protecting us and the house from the bolder ones who dare to come closer than they should."

Naruto knit his brow together and tilted his head slightly. "Bolder ones? What are they? Animals?"

The old lady just smiled and handed him some plants. "Would you like to make one too?"

He shrugged and took the plants from her hands. "How do I make one?"

"Just tie up the plants together with this string," she answered, already finishing up one bundle with her nimble fingers.

They talked as they worked with Naruto telling Baba about his pranks, and she explaining the powers that the leaves they were tying held. Once the last bundle was set up to dry, it was time to rest for the night.

"Naruto, I want you to move your futon closer to mine."

He popped his head from the covers whining, "But I was just about to go to sleep! Why do I have to move it?"

"The house is pretty weak right now because the old smudge sticks are almost out of powers. They won't be able to protect us from the little buggers that decided to crawl in. It'll be safer for the both of us to stick together."

He blinked and then grinned. Getting out of the futon, he dragged in closer to the elderly lady. "Hehe, are you scared of bugs Baba?"

She chuckled, "Fufuf, perhaps I am."

Naruto scrambled back inside the covers still grinning. "Hehehe, don't worry! I'll protect you from the bugs!"

"We'll see about that. Go to sleep. It's late."

He did go to sleep. For about a few minutes that is. Naruto woke up with a jolt from a sudden tight pain in her bladder and the dire thought of _I need to pee_ going through his mind.

He sat up and looked around the room. It was creepily dark and he swore he could see something fluttering about outside of the room.

Naruto lied back down. Maybe he didn't need to go. He could just- A sharp pain poked his bladder daring him to continue that thought. With no other choice, he threw off the futon covers and crept across the room silently.

Slowly sliding open the paper door, he looked around. It was a clear night, no clouds in the sky, and he could see his way to the toilet just fine without a light source, which he had forgotten to bring because of the sudden realization of how badly he needed to go.

Nothing particular happened at first, or at least he didn't notice anything happening as he went to use the restroom. It was only when he got out that he started to think that things…were a little weird.

Every step that he took made the area around him grow darker and darker, and for some bizarre reason, it looked like the bedroom was getting farther and farther away.

Eventually, Naruto found himself in complete darkness. No matter where he turned, there was only black space greeting him, an area of a pitch black void. Just what happened? Was he even in the hut anymore? What made the place turn black? Maybe if he just continued walking he could get out of it.

He continued onward, and trudged further into the never ending darkness, or so he thought. He couldn't tell if he was getting anywhere at all. There was no passage of time or specific land marks to tell him how far he was going. The floor beneath was a plain dark road too so it made him even wonder if he was moving at all. The only reason he knew he was walking because of the sound of footsteps he made.

….

Wait a second…footsteps?

He stopped walking and listened for a second. Silence greeted him. He turned around. Nothing was there. Cautiously putting his foot in the air, he stepped down. He sighed in relief as he heard just the clack of his own sandals. Perhaps he was being too-He took a quick intake of breath and strained his ears to listen more clearly.

Tap tap tap

Naruto turned around hesitantly, expecting a horror monster of some sort, but nothing was there. The sound stopped after a while, and he took a few steps watching behind him.

The sound started again but the only thing he could see was the darkness. Nervously he picked up his pace, and so did the sound of footsteps. That's when he felt it, a cold presence of someone running behind him.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

He panicked as the sound came closer to him and ran straight for it in the darkness only to bump into something. Clutching his nose, he looked up and relief flooded over his fears.

It was Baba holding a scented candle. She patted his head and motioned for him to move out of the way. He stepped aside from where he once stood and so did she.

The sound of footsteps got closer until it sounded like it was right in front of him. Naruto clutched on to the elderly lady's cloak. He could feel the presence of something he couldn't see in front of him.

Baba bowed her head politely and brought Naruto closer to her. "Good evening BetoBeto-san. Do not mind us. We are just lost."

Silence stayed, and Naruto swore he could feel something staring at him. Then the tapping of footsteps sounded again. Baba tugged his hands to indicate that he should follow. Nervously, he held her hand as they followed the sound in the darkness.

The smoke from the candle seemed to create a path to where they were supposed to go and the tapping sound seemed to dissipate along with the fading darkness. They were back on the veranda in their little hut. Baba quickly brought him back into the room and shut the doors tightly behind her.

Naruto flopped down on to the floor and let out the breath he was holding in. "Neh, neh, Baba. Just what in the world was that thing? I came out of the bathroom and everything all of sudden turned- "

"Naruto."

He flinched at the stern tone of her voice and looked down.

"Naruto look at me. Yes, I am angry, but I'm not going to punish you for it. I am also angry at myself for not explaining it to you properly. You have not experienced living out here as long as I, so I, being the experienced one, should have given you better guidance."

She kneeled down to his eye level. "This place is not like Konoha as you have seen. Out here, the Hokage's chakra cannot reach you and you are exposed to Nature's tricks and powers every day. It is not as fun as you may think, and the only true protection for you are the rules that I have laid out for you little one."

Baba led him back to his futon. "You were very lucky to have met BetoBeto-san instead of some other tricky little spirit. The others can be quite nasty to their victims."

"Baba, what exactly is BetoBeto –san and that weird dark room?" asked Naruto curiously as he slipped back into the safety of the cover.

The elderly lady also went into her futon cover before explaining. "What you went through is similar to a genjutsu Naruto."

"A genjutsu? What's that?"

Baba stared at him incredulously. "You want to be a ninja and yet you don't know what a genjutsu is?"

"H-Hey! I don't need to learn genjutsus to be a ninja! I just need powerful ninjutsus!"

She mentally shook her head. What in the world was Hiruzen teaching this kid? One couldn't just specialize in ninjutsu without learning the basics of other important Ninja techniques to be a ninja. That was like saying one wanted to be an author even though he didn't know how to spell. It just didn't work like that, unless you were a special case like a certain Green beast.

"Naruto a genjutsu is a ninja technique where you can cause people to see illusions. What you went through was BetoBeto-san's genjutsu, or at least something similar to it. The spirit was showing you a snippit of the Circle of Chakra. You were in it, but then again you were not"

He scrunched his nose in confusion. "I'm confused," he stated plainly.

It wasn't surprising. Even Hiruzen was confused when she first explained it to him. The ideas of Wicca were not easy to understand for those who did not experience it first-hand.

"I'll start off with a little backstory. In our world of ninjas and samurais, we use a power called chakra that was born from a tree, a tree that was part of the Circle of Chakra."

"Circle of Chakra? What's that?" He asked snuggling in to the covers deeper.

She chuckled and gently brushed his hair. "The circle of chakra is thought to be a mysterious place in the universe. Over there, the spirits of the dead, nature, and demons reside around a network of glowing rivers which is thought to be the base of chakra itself.

The tree that grew the fruit of chakra was able to go to and fro the world of living and the Circle of Chakra and live off of that glowing river. Now every living thing has its own little pool of chakra in that world. Once that entire pool is used up, that person must wait for that pool to fill up again to be reincarnated."

"Is that where I went too? I didn't see anything glowy though. It was all dark."

"Fufufu, what you went through was just an illusion created by BetoBeto-san. He was showing you the path he was taking to go to the World of Living. He was probably just traveling. The farther one goes from the Circle of Chakra and closer to the World of Living, the harder it is to see the Chakra Rivers. He didn't mean any harm. It has probably been a long time since he met another human and he was just excited."

"Oh. I kind of feel bad now." He rubbed his neck. "I shouldn't have run away like that but is BetoBeto-san a ghost or something?"

Oh My. It was here when he asked this question that she realized her mistake. She had gotten too excited like BetoBeto-san. It had been ages since anybody was ever interested in Wiccan Life and it just had to be the boy that Hiruzen was so dead on serious in turning into an honorable ninja. Well, might as well. Can't let the boy hanging here.

"BetoBeto-sans are a formless spirit. They travel to the World of the Living every so often to listen to the sound of footsteps. They truly enjoy it. It's like music for these creatures, who can only be heard through their tapping sounds."

"Do all spirits travel here from the Circle of Chakra?"

"Only sometimes, and this is why I tell you to use a candle at night. They are more likely to go out when less it is dark and less people are out since they can accidently drag the innocent into their path or cause unnecessary mischief. The scent of the candles will keep most of them away and the smoke and light of the candle will help guide you back to the World of Living. Now no more questions for it is very late, and we must truly get some sleep."

"Night Baba."

"Good night Naruto."

She brushed his hair for a little while longer until he fell asleep. Lighting up another incense for extra protection, she blew out the candle and went under the covers letting her mind wander.

Naruto was a lot more troublesome than she thought. To run into a spirit just after the day he arrived promised worse problems to arise in the future. Well, no matter, it was her own fault, and she wasn't going to abandon the boy at an orphanage because of it. He was charming in his own little way. She would just have to teach him how to live in this house to make sure another can of worms, a more dangerous one, wouldn't be opened up.


End file.
